New charges have been filed against a Plaistow couple accused of abusing a boy, but the child's mother and her boyfriend did not appear in court Thursday.

Prosecutors said Jessica Linscott and Roland Dow tried to get Linscott's son to lie to a state worker looking into the child's welfare.

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Next month, Dow is scheduled to stand trial over accusations of beating and burning his girlfriend's 3-year-old son, but in light of the new witness-tampering charges, the defense is filing paperwork to get the trial pushed back.

Dow and Linscott waived arraignment on the new charges.

Dow has been accused of striking the boy hard enough to cause a traumatic brain injury. When the boy was eventually dropped off at a hospital, prosecutors said, there were bruises all over his body.

Linscott has been charged with child endangerment, accused of failing to get medical help for her son.

Prosecutors said that if the witness tampering hadn't taken place, the child might have escaped serious injury.

"Mr. Dow took steps to coach a child, to encourage a child, to demand that a child withhold information that may have protected the child if the child had been in danger at that time," said Rockingham County Deputy Attorney Tom Reid.

Dow and Linscott continue to be held on bail and aren't allowed to contact each other.

Reid was asked about the possibility of Linscott testifying against Dow. He said that if the defense is willing to plead guilty to the charges, prosecutors are willing to discuss what might be an appropriate sentence.